A typical high power, radio frequency (RF) field effect transistor (FET) for use in an RF amplifier may include a feedback resistor between a current conducting terminal of the FET (e.g., the source or drain) and the gate of the FET. The primary purpose of the feedback resistor is to improve the stability of the FET during operation.
In some cases, the FET and the feedback resistor may form portions of a monolithic integrated circuit (IC) (i.e., the FET and the feedback resistor are formed in and over a single semiconductor substrate). In such a configuration, during operations, heat generated by the FET may be absorbed by the feedback resistor, given the resistor's proximity to the FET. In addition, current through the feedback resistor causes the resistor to heat up. This self-heating due to current flow increases as operational frequencies increase. Conventional feedback transistor designs may be unsuitable for use at very high frequencies, because the maximum allowed temperature limits for such conventional feedback transistors may be exceeded at those very high frequencies.